Health

Shands Jacksonville is proud to announce that it has been granted Magnet® recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet program is nationally recognized as the gold standard of nursing excellence. Currently, only 386 of the more than 6,000 U.S. healthcare organizations have received the credential.

The City of Jacksonville’s Environmental and Compliance Department is issuing an air quality advisory today in response to smoke from fires currently burning in the area. Elevated levels of particulate matter from the smoke have been detected and an open burning ban remains in effect.

Jennifer and Dave Edwards are proud parents of 2 healthy twin boys, Jack and Luke. At 16 weeks into their pregnancy, doctors told the parents-to-be that one of their babies had no amniotic fluid and to prepare for the worst. At just 19 weeks, Jennifer started having contractions and was immediately admitted into the hospital. She made it to 32 weeks and delivered the two boys at Wolfson Children’s Hospital on September 7, 2007. Jack and Luke each weighed a little over 2 lbs. and were able to go home after 8 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).The boys were transported and treated with equipment that was purchased by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, with funds raised by their corporate sponsors such as Publix.

Jennifer and Dave Edwards are proud parents of 2 healthy twin boys, Jack and Luke. At 16 weeks into their pregnancy, doctors told the parents-to-be that one of their babies had no amniotic fluid and to prepare for the worst. At just 19 weeks, Jennifer started having contractions and was immediately admitted into the hospital. She made it to 32 weeks and delivered the two boys at Wolfson Children’s Hospital on September 7, 2007. Jack and Luke each weighed a little over 2 lbs. and were able to go home after 8 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).The boys were transported and treated with equipment that was purchased by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, with funds raised by their corporate sponsors such as Publix.

American Heart Association works with Crowdrise.com to raise awareness and funding

Ken Jeong combines his comedic prowess with his medical training in a new Hands-Only CPR video from the American Heart Association that uses the disco hit “Stayin’ Alive” to help people remember what to do in a sudden cardiac arrest. The video can be viewed at crowdrise.com/HandsOnlyCPR.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Downtown Jacksonville homeless centers are providing emergency shelters for homeless because of the unhealthy air quality.

Jules Black usually sleeps under a clear sky.

"I have a little spot I sleep in," Black said.

But the smoke and ash brought him indoors.

"It's rough. I don't have no asthma or nothing and it's kind of rough," Black said.

Dozens of Jacksonville's homeless are seeking refuge Wednesday night at local shelters opening their doors because of the elements.

"I don't remember it ever being this bad," said Sara Dougherty with the Sulzbacher Center. Dougherty said the emergency shelters typically only open in the winter, when temperatures drop below 40 degrees.

"Every night we have a lot of people who are sleeping outside unsheltered it's hard enough," Dougherty said. "Then to add on top of it, the smoke conditions and the ash conditions makes it even tougher."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The smoke that blankets the city is so thick, it is seeping into homes, vehicles and individuals' clothing. In most cases, it is impossible to keep the smoke out, but there are ways to keep it from lingering.

In homes, air-conditioning expert Ed Miller, who works for Snyder Air advised residents to do the following:

Keep the garage door closed.

Make sure that the air handler, the unit inside the home or in the garage, is properly sealed.

Change air filters.

"You should change it today and tomorrow if necessary," said Miller.

Don't use any kind of filter, Miller said, instead, make sure it is a pleated filter. "A pleated filter has the ridges to catch smoke, dust and dirt," he said.